Molly Moon and her Jeweled Necklace
by jrba95
Summary: With her family complete, Molly thought her life would be perfect. However with a house full of quirky hypnotists things are sure to go awry! Molly Moon is now going to be put to the test against the family she's always wanted and the adventure of a life!
1. Mischievous Midnight

Ok everyone, here is my first fanfiction eva! YAAY! There really isn't a broad topic devoted to the Molly Moon series, but I have been a large fan ever since it first came out. I am writing this because the author left a suggestion for another book, but I haven't heard any news of one coming out in several years. Just so you have a little info about what this is about: Molly Moon is a master hypnotist amongst a family of hypnotists. She and her pals go off on very risky adventures and stuff. For more information, I implore you to read the books (they really are entertaining). I don't own any of the characters, that right is reserved for Ms. Georgia Byng (the authoress). I made some new guys of course, and I made Sally a little OC (she was a very minor character in the books anyway). Enjoy!

Prologue: Mischievous Midnight

June 9th, 1899

It was dark on the streets of San Francisco. The street lanterns were repeatedly blown out by the huge gusts of wind that plagued the moonless night, so no one bothered to relight them. That is, except poor Pao Heung, a determined, old, lamp-post keeper of the neighborhood. His bones were old and achy, and his hair was long and grey, but he was firmly set on keeping the lampposts lit, even if he had to hobble to the same one twenty times a night. That was a lot of trekking up and down hills for one old man! But he valued his job; not many would hire old Chinese men for many things other than building railroads.

Tonight he was roaming the aristocratic district, lifting a little flame one by one to the ousted lanterns. he had to stand on his tippy toes because his arm would only straighten out so much. he huffed and puffed as he climbed the steep hill. This street was almost finished being relit and he decided to take a good nap on a stoop after he had finished.

But then he heard a voice and stopped in his steps. It was a gravelly, hushed voice, but sounded like a child's. It was a voice that Pao Heung was very unaccustomed to hearing so late in the night. He turned his head around, preparing to chastise the perpetrator, though doubting they would understand because he would be blathering in Mandarin. But what he saw almost stunned him into a heart attack! Two boys were standing on each other's shoulders, nuffing the lantern that Pao had just lit!

"I thought you snuffed them already, ya' loony!"

"You callin' me a liar, Jeb? I said I snuffed it, so I snuffed it!"

"Yeah I'm callin' you a liar. That and an idiot for compromising the whole mission," growled Jeb.

Pao stood there in shock as he watched the boys ruin his hard work. He roared and began to hobble his way over to them at the speed of a wrinkly old tortoise.

"What are you fools doing?"" he screeched at them. "Get away from there!"

The boys' heads snapped up in utter shock as Pao hurled curses at them in Chinese. Losing their balanced, they crashed to the ground in a heap and a groan. However, they soon retrieved their senses as Pao approached, and dashed off.

"Scram boys! We're seen! JERONIMO'S FEATHER...or whatever it was," the taller boy, Jeb howled into the night. A red haired figure could be seen hastily peeking out of a high window before disappearing hurriedly. The boys were far ahead of the old Chinese man, but he was still determined to catch them. pao flung his walking stick at them, set on at least leaving a smack that smarted. But as soon as he threw it, his targets disappeared.

In mid step the two boys vanished out of mid air, leaving the night as if they were never present at all. They were gone! Pao gasped so hard that he was thrown into coughing fit that doubled him over to his hands and knees. Did he just see what he thought he saw? He couldn't have! Pao shook his head weakly, and straightened himself out. He wasn't meant for such a chase, it must have muddled his brain.

"Stupid kids," he grumbled as he waddled back to relight the lantern.

I know, I know, this is a Molly Moon fanfiction and MM isn't even mentioned. Patience amigos! It is still muy importante! Chapter One coming soon, I already have it written.


	2. Secrets and Feuds

Let's get down to business people! Here we go with the story! Like I said Sally is OC cuz I thought it is necessary to add a girl to the gang.

Chapter One: Secrets and Feuds

June 7th, 2005

"Molly," a sing-song voice called from down the corridor. "Come along to say good bye!" The heavy patter of bare feet on the wooden floor grew louder as Ojas approached molly's bedroom door. "Molly," he chimed again, rapping on the door. when he didn't hear an answer he cautiously opened Molly's door and peeked through the gap. "Molly?" he asked.

A mane of curly brown hair was poured over a large, rather old looking text book. White cords from her ear buds naked through the curls. Molly moon was rapidly tapping her pen on the book to the tempo of the music, completely oblivious to her bedroom guest. Ojas clicked his tongue and lithely made his way over to her bed to yank out her ear buds. "Molly Moon!" he said quite loudly, causing Molly to gasp. Her emerald green eyes snapped open, electrified. She quickly snapped her book shut and forced it under her torso.

"Oh hello Ojas, what's up?...You are supposed to knock, you know!"

Ojas's eyebrows slanted and his lips rose into a sly grin. "I did," he said aloofly. He scooched closer to the bed. "What are you hiding, Molly?" Molly abruptly sat up and made her bed tightly with the book tucked in, her back was to Ojas.

"Nothing," she stated curtly. She turned to her friend, then started propelling him out of the room. "A girl has her right to keep a diary, doesn't she?" Molly quickly flicked off the light before slamming the door.

Ojas sneered. "Odd looking diary."

Molly spun on him, angrily. "Listen you..."she hissed, but was interrupted by a deep voice calling from down the stairs.

"Molly? Ojas? Sally? I'm leaving," Primo called. "Hurry up now if you want to say good bye!"

"Um, NO!" screeched Sally from the floor above. No matter what primo did to placate her, Sally would reply with an icy jab. She vehemently promised never to forgive him for hypnotizing her, despite of his own hypnotized condition, and begged to be put up for adoption. Primo just smiled and tried to make peace with her anyway.

Molly and Ojas groaned at their adopted sister's reply. 'Coming primo!" they called in unison. Before trompling down the stairs, Molly gave Ojas another menacing glare of warning, to which he replied with a mischievous shrug.

"Kids, he's leaving," Lucy called up. Molly and Ojas ran to the front door, but no further for fear of getting drenched in the late spring, British rain. Rocky and Mickey swarmed around them, all waving at promo as he slid into the limousine.

"I'll see you all next week!" promo hollered through the open window. "Everyone take care of each other and have a safe trip over. Love you all!" And he was off, down the driveway, off to America.

Hmmm, Molly thought, he really has been saying "I love you" more. In the beginning he never did. Maybe it's because he's trying to make this odd ball group of people sound more normal, she wondered. But then as she turned to shut the door she was her mother, Lucy, smiling sadly at her husband's departure and the large bump that had become Lucy's mid section. yes, that's it, Molly decided. Now that a baby was on the way, Primo was trying to make this bunch of misfits a real family. He had three months to go and everyone knew he had a lot of progress yet to make. Molly was still dying for adventure, Ojas was adapting to a different culture over a hundred and fifty years in the future, Mickey was trying to adapt to being five hundred years in the past, Sally hated him, Sinclair had crazy ideas about the family business, Primo's advisor was an aging hippie, he and Lucy were getting to know each other all over again, and he lived in a barnyard consisting of a clever dog, an elephant, two odd birds, and a brother-in-law who thought he was a sheep! If Lucy wasn't by his side, they wouldn't be able to keep the family together as well as they were. He said he was going to have the baby born in as stable of an environment as possible. But with such a zoo of a household, no one knew just how he was going to do it.

Lucy wrapped her arms around Mickey and Ojas and everyone moved into the living room. A tired silence hung over them all.

"Is he gone?"Sally called from up the stairs. Lucy groaned and everyone else rolled their eyes, annoyed.

"Yes, Sally," Lucy called as she gingerly lowered herself onto the sofa. "You can come down now."

No one paid attention to the moody teen as she entered the room. The boys were playing video games while Molly read out of a notebook and Lucy read the newspaper. Sally was short for her age of seventeen, much shorter than Molly who was four years younger. Her hair was black with purple streaks and her wardrobe was as dreary as the rainy day outside. Molly knew that Sally was the type of girl who would pierce her whole head if Primo hadn't put his foot down on that subject. If there was any feud in the household Sally was usually one of the contenders.

Sally didn't approach the rest of her adopted family, she just slouched against the wall. "I can't wait until we go back to America. It's too rainy here and there is nothing to do." No one answered her. The only reaction they felt from her presence was a darkening of their moods. It was annoying, really. Realizing that no one was paying attention to her, she began to walk towards the center of the room. She said in a smug voice, "America is so much better, anyway. I bet if I'm lucky..."

"I bet if _we're_ lucky," Mickey interrupted without tearing his eyes away from the television screen, "then Sinclair will take you and your dark rain cloud off of our hands!"

Sally put her hand on her hips and offensively spat back, "I'd rather do that then prune up here."

"You wouldn't prune up if you would get out of your own storm cloud," Rocky retorted, glaring at her angrily.

"Shut up, Rocky," Sally hissed.

"Don't you tell him to shut up!" Molly shrieked at Sally, slamming her book shut.

Lucy straightened her figure authoritively and raised her hands high in the air. "Stop it, all of you," she said sharply. "If you can't say anything nice then don't say anything...AT ALL!"

Sally scoffed then stomped back to the stair case. "Yes _Mom_," she spat over her shoulder. The other children looked warily at Lucy's face, expecting the worse. Lucy often despaired over the years she had missed of Molly and Mickey's lives. But Lucy just looked down at her hands, her face was pale and her lips quaked. No one moved. She raised her head proudly and smiled at their grim faces. Lucy clapped her hands together smartly to cheer the mood.

"Does anyone have any exams to study for," she asked in a low voice. "It is the end of term after all." She was answered by silence. Everyone shook their head slowly. Lucy emitted a small smile and laid a hand on her growing stomach. "Well ok then, all. I think I'm going to try to get a load of laundry done. With eight people living here it takes a long time." Slowly, she arched herself off of the sofa and waddled out in silence. The four looked at each other, guilty about the part they had each taken in the argument, and listened to Lucy's silence.

"_Baaa_," said Cornelius from the corridor to his sister.

"Oh, hush up, Cornelius," Lucy said sulkily.

When Lucy was out of hearing distance, Molly collected her things in a huff and stomped towards the door. "You all know I've always wanted a family," she muttered under her breath, "but this is ridiculous."

The three boys watched as she stomped up the stairs and slammed her bedroom door. They all looked at each other hopelessly, then returned to playing video games, all feeling rather wretched.

"Girls," Mickey grumbled.

"_Baaa_!"

"Oh, shut it, Cornelius!"


	3. Lies

A/N: Well here we are again…two entire months later. I've struggled with pneumonia, college visits, polar opposite grades, annoying siblings, terrible homework, boring school novels, manic depression and so much more. I've just finished _Molly Moon and the Morphing Mystery_ and have decided that too much was left unsaid…which was probably the reason for writing this fanfic in the first place…I'd forgotten. First off I would like plead forgiveness with IShearthandsoul…to whom I promised to update in a week several weeks ago. I really had planned to but...I won't waste your time with petty excuses any more.

**Pre-read important facts!: **_I've made Molly, Micky, Rocky, and Ojas fourteen years old, and adjusted that they were closer to thirteen in the previous installment of the series. I wanted to take a little fanfictioneer's initiative on that because it seemed that all those adventures happened back to back…so I gave Miss Molly a minute's breather. I'm sure you can understand. I would also like to apologize for the _promo_'s in the last chapter…darned auto-corrections._

Chapter Two: Lies

Much to the dismay of all of the children, after the horrendous failure with Miss Hunroe's tutorage, Lucy and Primo knew that it would be in their charges' best interests to go to a public school. "It's close to home where we'll know that you are safe," Lucy had chirped, convincingly. She had remembered Molly's aversion to even having a tutor, and presumed that her distaste of public schooling would be just as sound. She was right. Ever since the first day of school the previous August, Molly reacquired all of the disgust for school she had possessed during her days in the orphanage and primary school. Now, just as she had predicted all of those years ago, secondary school was even more intolerable.

Every morning the boys jumped eagerly into the car while the girls practically had to be hauled out of the front door like a cat into the bathtub. Molly envied Ojas' likable personality, Micky's enthuse for learning, and Rocky's athletic excellence. Just as before, she was ostracized and pinned as the oddish looking quiet girl. At first she had hoped that her adoptive sister Sally, a kindred spirit in unpopularity, for refuge, but she was just as unceremoniously kicked to the curb. Not for the first time in her life had Molly said to herself: "School is bullocks!"

Today was the last day of the school term, and Molly was so elated that she felt like she wanted to sing. What a perfect day to end school: the sun was peeking through the gray clouds and the rain puddles were dried up enough that mud didn't ruing her shoes…but that, of course, didn't faze Molly Moon at all. Now that school was finally over, she could now give her undivided attention to _Hypnotism Two: The Advanced Arts. _

She knew that as an accomplished hypnotist it wouldn't take long before she mastered each lesson that the book contained, but now she was free to finish the entire book without the pesky interruptions of school work or teen-drama. _It's so annoying being a teenager,_ she incessantly grumbled to herself as she was trapped inside of the drab classrooms. Every day she was stereotyped by the boys who would only look at her flat chest and the girls who would taunt her for her wild brown hair that looked as crazed as a mental patient. So few people knew that to truly know her, they would only have to look into her electric green eyes. There lay a portal to a new and unimaginable world. It often bothered her that she could master hypnotism so easily, but not the trials of secondary school. But now that it was summer, she decided impishly that she didn't care.

Her dazzling eyes were glued to the domed plastic surface of the clock, her teeth chewing on her bottom lip with anticipation. Around her, her classmates roared and squealed as they discussed the adventures they would have during the summer. _Hah!_ Molly laughed to herself. _If only they knew! _Each tick of the clock was torture and seemed to be getting slower as if time were slowly freezing. Three-Two-ONE! Molly along with all of her classmates leapt out of their chairs and fled from the classroom like a flock of bats flying from a cave.

"We're going to America. We're going to America," Ojas and Micky sang as they wrapped their arms around their sister and rushed from the classroom. Molly repelled against the entire building like a matching magnet. "Where's Rocky," Molly hollered over the ruckus in the hallway. The trio could not stop to talk due to the rapids of rushed teenagers. "Lucy said to come right home, or we'll miss our flight."

Micky craned his head to glance over the crowd and pointed to a locker near the classroom they had just evacuated, and pointed. When Molly turned around, she could not see Rocky for a slight head with sleek blonde hair was in her way. She stood on her toes and saw Rocky smiling that crooked smile of his as he listened diligently to what the blonde girl in front of him was saying. His eyes looked dazed as if he were fantasizing about the most delightful dream ever. Rocky hardly noticed when the girl slipped a ripped corner of paper with her phone number on it into the pocket of his jeans. Even from afar, Molly could detect the deep flush that grew on his dark skin. Just as the boy was about to escape the girl to join his siblings, she snatched him by the collar of his shirt and drew his lips to hers.

During the short instant that the two were in contact, Molly's temper rose like a thermometer in boiling water. When Rocky's eyes snapped open in shock, the mocking laughter of the two boys beside her only added fuel to the fire. Molly charged through the mob of students like a raging rhino until she came upon her friend. With a scowl of disgust, she grabbed Rocky's collar and dragged him away from the stranger's embrace.

"Hey, Molly," Rocky murmured, half distantly and half peevishly. He followed Molly's lead like a blind man.

Molly scowled as she shoved open the exit doors. "We're supposed to be heading off to the States soon, Rock," she scowled. Micky and Ojas just snickered at the tension between their two friends. When Molly glared at the two boys she realized the serious faux pas she had just committed. _Crums,_ she cursed herself, _they'll never let me live this down if they think I acted that way out of jealousy. Why did I do that, anyway…_ Horrified to consider any unwanted conclusions, she decided it was best to ignore the issue entirely.

"There's no point in trying to make a relationship now as we are going to be spending all summer in America," Molly chastised Rocky in an attempt to present a method to her madness.

As soon as Todson opened the heavy double doors of the Logan Mansion for them, the children raced up the stairs to grab their belongings before Lucy left without them as she threatened. Molly was the first one to reach her bedroom, but instead of snatching up her luggage with haste, she locked the door swiftly and waited for everyone else to fly past her bedroom before retreating from the door. Her heart was panting anxiously in her chest, but once she was content that everyone had gone to their respectable rooms she collapsed to the floor and began to claw a cracked board up with her finger nails.

"C'mon," she growled as she picked at the chipping wood to no avail. Frustrated, she withdrew a pen from her back pocket and used that to pry the board from its setting in the floor. As she gazed at her success, she took a moment to be grateful for living in an old mansion where inconspicuous hiding spots are abundant. Her heart nearly jumped out of her ribcage when there was a sharp rapping on the door.

"Hurry up, Molls," Micky panted from outside the door. "Todson is revving up the car!"

With an exasperated groan, she pulled her suitcase and her carryon bag close to her, yet dexterously and gingerly lowered the hypnotism book into the secret confines of her backpack. Just as she was about to flick off the light, she quickly scurried over to her night stand table to snatch a neat envelope.

Lucy's face was bright and cheery as she listened to the boys babble in the back seat of the minivan.

"Lucy-auntie," Ojas said sweetly. "Are you sure we can't bring Amrit along? Molly gets to bring Petula and Micky gets to bring Silver and Mercury."

Lucy tried not to laugh too loud, for fear of hurting Ojas' feelings. "I'm afraid not, darling," she said gently. "We talked about this; how on earth would we be able to get an elephant over to the United States?"

Ojas frowned nervously. "If he could do it I could," he mumbled. All the other boys were well accustomed to air travel and began coaxing the tense Ojas about the intense safety measures involved.

"Ojas, remember on the telly we saw that documentary where those two towers in America were crashed into by planes. Well, because of that there is nothing about flight travel that the Americans aren't on top of. You'd sooner win the lottery than crash. Nothing goes into the air that they don't know about."

Molly and Sally were staring blankly out of the window in the furthest seats, but when Micky's words reminded Molly about the uptight American system, she clutched her backpack instinctively. Sally glared suspiciously at her for a moment, and then turned away from her, disinterested. Molly's face crumpled in a worried grimace; if the customs security demanded her to empty her bag then her whole family would see the book! She wasn't going to risk having the book leave her hands by having it checked. But then she exhaled heavily and an easy smile slid onto her face. Hypnotism would solve all of her problems; duh!

She clutched the letter and her backpack close to her protectively: it did hold precious cargo, after all. All of the secrecy made her giddy inside, as if she were on a secret mission like in the movies. _Then again, _she thought, _I have been living the life of a spy lately. _Everything important in her life, lately, has been a whisper and a lie. And it all began the day she and Mickey had returned home from South America, even before they reached Briersville Park.

* * *

><p>Molly had expected Primo and Lucy to be waiting hysterical and panic-stricken at the airport on the day she and Micky had returned from Ecuador. No sooner had the twins and Lily Black stepped foot on English soil had they been attacked by an impenetrable wall of concerned parents. Theobald Black swept the tiny Lily in his massive arms and Lucy nearly tackled Micky and Molly like a charging fullback. "I'm so sorry," Lucy sobbed into their shoulders. "I had no idea about that Hunroe woman! You poor children!"As the twins patted their mother's back awkwardly, they endured Primo's intricate scrutiny for physical damage. "We're fine," Micky screeched through Lucy's suffocating grip.<p>

No sooner had Molly been released from Lucy's arms was she imprisoned once again in Rocky's arms. "Glad you're back, Moonie," he said. "Is the ook-bay afe-say?" Molly nodded fervently, a perfectly content smile on her face. She squeezed her best friend closer to her.

"You have no idea how glad I am to be home," she murmured. She opened her eyes for a moment and caught Black's stare. From over the top of Lily's head, he gestured for Molly to walk with him to the other side of the terminal. Though her parents looked on, concerned and wary, but Molly's smile put them slightly at ease.

On the other side of the room, Black put his heavy hand on her shoulder and leaned down to look her straight in the eyes. "I believe _it_ would be safer in your possession," he whispered, indicating the heavy lump of precious pages that was weighing down her backpack. "It technically belongs to you after all."

Molly nodded and smiled, gratefully. As the two journeyed back to the welcoming party, Molly's eyes were set on Lucy's relieved and loving face, causing the daughter to remember the promise she had made to her mother so recently before: giving all this hypnotism business a break and give being a normal kid a shot. The book that sat securely in her backpack held so much knowledge within its pages that Molly felt like she would die of thirst in front of a fresh-water spring if she ignored all the secrets the book held. She bit her lip as she considered that the adventure they had gone through just then was proof enough that that promise was null and void. Lucy didn't _have _to know about the book: the first lie.

On the way back to the manor, the jealous Rocky and Ojas quizzes the twins ceaselessly about the adventure they had underwent in the past few days; even Sally sat forward in her seat as she heard about her siblings' miraculous tale. Though Molly and Micky were thrilled to oblige them, they were wary of their mother's strain from the front seat. Even Primo seemed more than a little concerned about the dangerous events that occurred while they were out from under their wing. Through simply a sly glance, the twins knew that it was best not to speak of the sky-diving incident within hearing distance of their parents.

Even before the car was put into park, Molly and Micky escaped the confines of the metal beast and ran for the house, knowing that somewhere laid their comfy beds waiting for them. But when they sped into the kitchen Molly stopped so abruptly that the two fell to the ground when Micky slammed into her.

"Cor!" Molly breathed as she gazed up at who was sitting at their breakfast table, her eyes wide in shock. When Micky recovered, his mouth lay agape.

Though the woman was rather small, her impeccable posture made her look like the giant that she theoretically was. In their own kitchen the queen of England was smiling down sweetly upon the children on the floor.

"Ah," mused the queen, "so we meet again, Mr. and Ms. Moon. What a delight that we should be able to be introduced formally this time."

It was Micky's turn to exclaim: "Cor!" Horrified about her tangled state on the floor in front of the royal woman, who she may have gravely offended a few days earlier, Molly Moon sprung to her feet and performed a sloppy curtsy. "Welcome to Briersville Park, your majesty," Molly stammered, not fazed by the woman's stature but rather the anger she might possess for the random intrusion into her being. "And… 'again' ma'am?" Behind her back, Molly crossed her fingers, hoping that the queen didn't remember Molly morphing into her; she was elderly, after all.

But unfortunately, the woman nodded then turned to gesture to the Jamaican man and the queen's butler sitting beside her. "Yes," she said sweetly, "this gentleman, my butler, and I remember the two of you very well. You seem to get around in a most peculiar matter." The queen gave them a very knowing look, making Micky gulp heavily.

They jumped when they heard the rest of the family enter the room. The entire party looked startled to see the elegant sitting in their commonplace breakfast nook, but Primo recovered the quickest.

"Your majesty," Primo exclaimed, crossing the room to shake the woman's delicate hand. Then his hands retreated to the twins' shoulders, protectively. "It is an honor to have you in our happy home. I see you are getting acquainted with my family; these are my children: Molly and Micky. Shall I introduce you to the rest of my family?"

With a genuine smile, the queen rose from the wooden chair. "Mr. Primo Cell," she said cordially, "I haven't seen you since our business meeting two summers ago. I do regret that your business has been more American located because of the election. I read all about your family in _Persons_ magazine…uh…and several other reputable sources, of course. Quite an interesting tale this family has, no?"

Primo nodded with a smile. "One of its many perks. May I offer you a cup of tea, your majesty?"

The queen declined with a wave of her gloved hand. "Thank you, Mr. Cell, but your lovely butler, Mr. Todson, has already obliged me with a cup. If you don't mind, I was wondering if I could have a little chat with your children, Molly and Micky; if you could provide a private place that would be excellent."

Lucy squeaked as if she desperately wanted to say something, but reined back her harsh words in the presence of the queen. Primo glanced back at her, inquiring, and immediately interpreted her defensive grimace. Primo cleared his throat: "Madam, if it's all the same to you, my wife and I would be most pleased to provide you with such a place, but with the stipulation that we, the parents, would be able to sit in on the conversation. I'm sure you can understand why."

For a split second, the queen's face turned dour in disappointment, but she soon continued her airy mien. "Of course, Mr. Cell," she announced. "Whatever you think is best." With that, Primo gently took his wife by the arm and bid that the queen followed him and the twins to the library.

"Children, how about you run along outside for a mo'," Lucy said, kindly, to the teens standing awestruck in the kitchen. "This shouldn't take long." Her last words sounded pointed and stern. Rocky and Ojas reluctantly abandoned their hopes of eavesdropping on their queen's meeting and went to play football, now that the sun was shining for the first time in weeks. Sally simply stuck a rebellious tongue out at her step-mother and returned to her room, away from the dreaded light of day. It was beside the fact that her room was directly above the library, and provided a perfect audio for any snoopers.

Not even the queen's butler entered into the library with her. Primo simply shut the door behind him, and guided the elderly woman to a plush chair nearest to intimate light of the fireplace. Molly and Micky sat on the loveseat opposite from the queen of England, anxiety was better disguised in Molly's face than Micky's, who was obviously panicking, but they were both as tense as tightropes. They had forcibly manipulated the most influential woman in their nation! The consequences for these two secondary school students couldn't be good and painless.

_Let's see what this ole bird has in store for us,_ Molly thought as she focused on the hazy bubble forming over the queen's gray hair. Her family was too engrossed with the oddity of the queen's presence to notice Molly focusing so acutely. Her mind-reading capabilities were one of the many capabilities of hers that would be catastrophic if her family found out. Slowly, the contents of the queen's mind were becoming clear for her.

_I know she has the book! How convenient! Who would have thought that such a powerful hypnotist would just fall into my lap like this! OH GOODY!_

Molly gasped loud enough for Micky to turn his head suspiciously. Luckily the queen began to speak before too much attention was attracted to the teenage girl.

"Mr. and Mrs. Cell, I would first like to congratulate you on the exceedingly talented children you possess! I first met them last Tuesday, while they were with a tutor, so my sources tell me. They…uh…visited me in regards to a Mr. Theobald Black. They impressed me immensely! I made some inquiries, and when I discovered their skills in the art of everything hypnotism my imagination soared with all of sorts of potential gifts they could give the world."

When the queen paused for a moment to allow the Cells to absorb all of the information the queen had dumped on their heads like a jug of Gatorade ® after a sports event. Molly winced when she saw Lucy's astonished face: she looked like she was screaming but no noise was coming out. Primo however was maintaining the same poker face that came along with the job of being a politician.

"We appreciate your admiration of our children, your majesty. Yes, I do believe that they will do great things when they are older."

The queen's laugh sounded like a little tinkling bell. "Older, well yes of course! But they are in a pivotal age now! I am sure that your children could do good things for the world now with their powers…_as children!_"

"Your majesty!" Lucy gasped, practically cutting the queen off. "You're compliments mean a lot to us really, but we believe that we would like to maintain a life that is normal as possible for our children."

"Lucy," Molly said pointedly, "We've had everything _but_ a normal life! I'm sure anything the queen has in mind isn't out of the ordinary for us…and we'd be helping the world, after all."

"It's out of the question, I'm afraid," Lucy said in a low voice. Molly rolled her eyes, but refused to open her mouth again. In the short year and a half that Molly had lived with the woman in Briersville Park, her voice had never reached such a sharp and threatening tone. She knew it would not be best to push Lucy further in the presence of a potential future employer.

The queen seemed utterly amazed that she was being so blatantly denied. "Mr. Cell," she implored again, "Please see reason! To bottle up your children's extraordinary capabilities would be irresponsible!"

Lucy replied so quickly that Primo hadn't even time to open his mouth. "Ma'am, please understand me: Whilst our children are under our roof and our financial wards they shall follow our wishes. If you still think your intentions for them are pleasing after college when they are able to support themselves, then you may of course beseech them. As it is, I, nor my husband, are willing to sell our children into a life of unadulterated danger."

The queen's mouth fell agape at the personal affront and Primo gasped, "Lucy!" But the woman paid no attention to the other adults in the room. She bid the queen a good day then arose, leading her twins with her by their shoulders.

Molly was astonished by her mother's behavior and infuriated for her complete disregard for what Molly and Micky really wanted to do. But when she took a quick peek into her brother's thoughts to see what he felt about the matter, she was so surprised she almost audible scowled in displeasure. Floating above Micky's own head, she could see the relief he felt for Lucy's firm reply. Molly saw pictures of a warm bed and the desire for a normal teenager's life. For a moment, Molly doubted that she was even related to the boy sitting next to her. As Lucy continued to direct her away, Molly knew that she was being led straight to a jail cell of boredom.

Desperately, she looked over her shoulder, looking for any possible escape. She found it in the queen's eyes. As the elderly woman shook Primo's hand she looked to the door to meet Molly's stare, and smiled.

Molly stomped up to her room immediately after Lucy let go of her arm. Now she knew how Sally felt all the time. She never expected that family members could be so two-faced and selfish! Yet she quietly shut her door; she wouldn't let anyone see her anger. She hurled herself on the soft bed that she had gone miserably without in the past week. But instead of having her cheek meet the soft contact of the fleece it brushed up against the crinkled surface of a sheet of paper.

"Can't anyone just leave me alone," Molly growled as she peeled the paper from her face. Carefully she w\read every line, her mouth dropping lower and lower with each word.

_If you are still interested, Molly Moon, then so am I_

_ -The Queen_

_p..s. you don't ask me where I found these, I won't ask what you do with them. My private contacts are disclosed on the back._

Confused she searched for whatever the queen mentioned in her post script. Her hand reached underneath her pillow and withdrew the necklace that she hadn't found since the first time she morphed. Now the eyes of the elephant were green as emeralds, the pug's eyes were ruby, each little black bird's eyes were diamond, and now there was a crown. At each point of the mini tiara a different color opaque: grey, blue, green, and orange. Time and the weather were back in her responsible hands.

That day her job became much more than just an ordinary teenager who everyone saw as a freak. She knew that she was no longer the nobody that everyone thought she was; she never was, but now the world had the opportunity to know it. She had received her first message when she had called the queen that very night: "The most you can do now, my darling, is read your ancestor's book. When you finish, contact me; if you leave the country, contact me. Just keep me in touch. I will let you know if I need your services.'

"What would my services be," Molly asked in a hushed voice. It was nearly midnight when she had tiptoed down to the telephone in the cellar. "What does helping the world entail?"

Molly could practically hear the queen smiling over the phone. "I'll tell you what, dear. You read the book. You learn the lessons. When I contact you later I'll tell you my plans. Then you'll be able to decide for yourself what you want to do. It would be perfectly fine with me if you decide to back out I'd understand. I also understand that you're a woman now. You are old enough to decide for yourself. I'll talk to you later, Ms. Moon."

With little more than a smile, Molly's second lie began. And as she ran to the last post box before the airport, she felt the exhilaration of espionage tickle her insides.

* * *

><p>"Molly," Lucy called as she waddled to hold open the airport door for her large family, "what are you doing? Hurry, love, we need to go!"<p>

"Coming!" Molly hastily shoved her letter into the letterbox. "I'm just mailing a last minute letter to a friend."

"What friends, silly," Rocky teased lightheartedly. "I thought we were your only friends."

"Not anymore," Molly breathed as she sprinted back to rejoin her family.


	4. Mysterious Missions

_A/N: Thanks IShearthandsoul and Starlettesky for your reviews and to all of you who read. I've realized that I don't write on the weekends…only during school, lol. La escuela es malo! Anyway…after I got the last chapter out of the way I got some vigor again YAY! The problem is now that I want to READ more than write! There is some good stuff on this website lol! I need you guys to answer me on this: should I give the queen a name or is it cooler with a mysterious and 'I'm so authoritative' title. I wouldn't use the actual queen's name because that's wrong right?…REVIEW me your answer please!_

Chapter Three: Mysterious Missions

Molly Moon had only entered her father's house in America once during the past few years; then she had thought that Primo Cell was the least likely person to be her father. But now, instead of sneaking around via espionage, she was making herself at home. So much had changed in the past four years that it made her head spin whenever she thought about all the time she wasted in Hardwick House. Now, the doors were opened for them before they had even stepped on the marble stoop.

"I'm home!" Sally shrieked, pushing past Molly to run into the mansion as if she were frolicking through a meadow. Molly was almost horrified at her sister's polar shift from her time in England to know. Yet, she had gotten used to Sally's perky transition after witnessing her excited mien the whole flight. Even her brothers viewed the home like a carnival fun-house that was left only to their whim. As soon as the fatigued Lucy lumbered up the stairs to go rest, the teenagers raced around the place as if they had never even heard of jet-lag. The vast expanse of marble flooring in the foyer proved to be an excellent arena for Rocky and Ojas' game of sock-hockey, which Petula joined eagerly as soon as Molly released her from her travelling crate. Micky no sooner walked to the door when he began to sniff out like a hungry dog the library that Primo had raved to him about.

Abruptly, and with a loud snap, the heavy oak door opened and shut behind Molly, startling her for she knew that their entire party was in the house and her father wasn't due to greet them until five that evening. She spun around curiously, but relaxed when she saw a vaguely familiar face smile back at her.

"Hello, Molly," Sinclair said cheerfully. "You've certainly grown into a beautiful young woman!" Molly smiled and approached to hug her step-brother. She had seen Sinclair far more recently than she had seen the mansion, but still his appearance altered as dramatically as hers. When they had last met, five months ago when Primo and Lucy had renewed their wedding vows, Sinclair's hair was long and golden and his face was clean shaven. Now, the twenty-six year old man donned an austere looking beard and his hair was neatly hugging his head; much different than the yoga-loving yuppie she had met four years before.

"You've changed too, Sinclair," Molly expressed with a shocked voice. "Are you dressed up for a special lady or something?"

Sinclair laughed and hugged her back, tightly. "You hit the nail on the head. I've been dating Yuki for a couple months now. You'll get to meet her when we all go out to eat tonight—"

"Sinclair!" Sally shrieked. Molly was almost stunned dead to see the luminous smile on the gloomy girl's face as she flew down the stairs and into her brother's arms. Sinclair's throaty laugh echoed throughout the house as he lifted the slim teen up into the air and spun her around.

"Well aren't we a chipper little bird today," he teased as he set her down on the ground.

"England was awful," Sally whined into Sinclair's chest. "I'm so happy to be home."

Molly smiled and shook her head at the oddity that her sister was turning into, but jumped out of her daze when her pocket began to buzz like an angry hive of bees. She ripped her cell-phone out of her pocket, and gasped when she flipped it open: Twelve missed alerts…all from_ Q_. Hastily she shoved her phone back into her pocket, her heart thumped powerfully at the thought that her secret was in such close contact to the people she tried to keep deepest in the dark. Without even making a rushed excuse, she raced up the stairs to the confines of her room.

Having never slept here, she was confused at first as to which room belonged to her, but she realized very soon that Lucy had taken the time to label each door with decorated tame tags. She laughed for a moment at her mother's controlling habits, then rushed into the room and forced the door shut behind her.

The room was a distasteful color pink and, much to Molly's chagrin, was decorated like a frilly doll house. _What was Primo _thinking, Molly thought to herself as she fingered the lace curtains in disgust. _He knows me better than this! _Efforts towards saving the room would have to be put off later; Molly had some serious business to do.

She flung herself on the bed and quickly opened up the messages she had received from the queen. "She was probably trying to contact me while I was on the plane," she grumbled to herself as she skimmed the repetitive messages: _I need to talk to you ASAP! _Molly growled in frustration. This was her first potential mission and she was late.

Molly propped herself up on her elbows and typed in the queen's number in a blur of fingers. She grinned when she remembered the long-distance and untraceable call shortcuts that the queen had instructed her to dial in for secrecy. Being a secret agent came with so many perks!

Nervously, she chewed on a curly strand of hair as she listened to the daunting chime of the dial tone. Would the queen be angry for her tardiness? She couldn't be fired if the queen had chosen her in particularly, right?

"Hello, Ms. Moon. I've been waiting for your call," a charming voice purred from the other line.

Molly blew out her anxiety in a sharp exhale. "Y-yes ma'am, I'm sorry I took so long. I only just arrived in the States an hour ago and-"

Her employer's tinkling laugh cut her off. "Molly, you needn't be worried. I am so thrilled that you are in the United States, I can hardly articulate!"

Molly was glad that the queen couldn't see her mouth drop in surprise. "Really?" she squeaked. "Well that's good, I suppose. If you don't mind me asking…_Why?"_

The other line was eerily silent for a moment, and the suspense grew in Molly's gut like wild fire. The queen cleared her throat. "Well, Ms. Moon, I thought that this would be an appropriate time to begin your first task for me."

The smile on the girl's face spread from ear to ear until her cheeks hurt. Elated, she pumped her fist in the air and straightened herself to listen to the queen more intently. "Of course! I'm ready for anything; I wrote to you that I've been reading the book rather intricately."

Quickly, the queen interjected Molly's rapid rambles. "Yes dear, I'm rather impressed with the progress that you've reported to me. However, the little chore I'm going to assign to you today doesn't much have to do with hypnotism. Not yet. I actually want you to do a little research for me; it's important that you perfectly understand what we are dealing with before we pursue."

Molly winced, disappointed. No hypnotism? Being able to consistently use hypnotism was one of the main reasons that Molly had jumped into this latest adventure. And after such a short duration of being out of school, she wasn't too keen to jump back into studying and research again.

Sensing Molly's hesitation, the queen continued: "Nothing to be worried about, dear. This is only a small, but necessary, part of our journey. The name I want you to research is Logan, spelled like your mother's maiden name; Kasper, that's K-A-S-P-E-R. Got that Ms. Moon? Splendid, now, like I said, the research is for your own benefit so you'd do well to study with an astute eye. I'll expect your next call around midnight tomorrow." The receiving line went dead.

Molly slouched in shock as she listened to the piercing dial tone. Skeptically, she glanced down at the name the she had hastily scribbled down on her notebook. _Read a book? Research a man? What kind of missions are these_, she pondered grumpily. By now, she had expected that she would be in exotic lands thousands of years ago discovering lost jewels for her majesty or besting beasties unknown! _Oh, come now, Molls_, she chastised herself, _you can't expect every day to be an adventure movie._

With a submitting shrug she ripped out the page with her new mission on it and crammed it deep into her pockets, far from the accidental escape and the prying eyes of her family.

* * *

><p>"I was truly shocked, Primo…uh…I mean Dad," Micky stated as the family drove out to one of the phenomenal restaurants that Primo had promised flourished in southern California. "You raved about your library to me, and you don't have anything about Quantum Physics! I wanted to study up for my physics class next year during the summer."<p>

Primo laughed and wrapped both of his arms around Lucy and Micky. He couldn't help but admire how much his son was taking after him, both in taking pride in his school work and the development of his handsome face. "I'm a business man, Mick," Primo said simply. "I'm not going to say that I don't like science, but I haven't centered my life on it. But, if you want to find some books, I'm sure I have time to show you to the public library tomorrow after I put in a few hours at the office."

Molly, until the word _library_ was mentioned, was staring mindlessly out the window. She hardly forgot the opulence that decorated the stunning sectors of California, and even though she was seeing it for the second time in her life, she was just as hypnotized. She was just considering that it was always on her bucket list to snooze under a palm tree, when Primo's words snapped her to attention.

"I want to go to the library too," Molly piped in. Everyone in the limousine looked at her as if she had lobsters growing out of her ears. She didn't blame them; she was the last person who would opt to go and subject herself to voluntary reading. But as soon as she got off of the phone with the queen, Molly knew that she couldn't risk using the home computer for even the slightest risk of having her mission discovered. She knew nothing about this Kasper man and she didn't have any idea how likely it would be for her parents to know the name. In a public place her research would be masked within the myriad of innocent searches.

"I, uh, I want to get a movie for the weekend. I'm not too familiar with American movies," she said quickly to save her reputation for being indifferent to all things study related.

Primo shrugged his shoulders and whipped his phone out of his pocket to type in his latest appointment. "Suit yourself. I don't see why not."

_Good, _Molly slumped in her chair, relieved, _I should be able to find stuff about this Kasper fellow before midnight tomorrow. It can't be hard; the queen can't expect a fourteen year old to have as much as a knack for studying as a college student._

* * *

><p>Neon lights and elegant architecture were draped over the restaurant that Primo had taken them to. It was a reminder to Molly of the layers that defined the American upper class: risky fun and intricate business. She fit right in!<p>

No sooner had the family abandoned their car to the snooty valet, another sleek convertible rolled up to the curb. The woman behind the wheel looked just as expensive to her car. The stunning Asian woman was intimidatingly tall and slim. While her sharp bones and skinny frame were obviously seen through the silhouette of her elegant red dress, the fierce look on her face hinted no weakness whatsoever. From the perfect wave of her hair to the effortless way she walked up to great the family, Molly envied the striking woman in a way only a plain teenage girl can.

"Sinclair," the woman purred, laying a gentle hand on the speechless man's shoulder. The woman's voice carried a soft Japanese accent that was like honey flowing through the ears of the Cell family. Sinclair could only smile weakly; it was obvious that he was irrevocably under her spell.

"Uh…"Sinclair muttered. The younger boys smirked, but their eyes too were glued to the enchanting stranger. "Uh, this is Yuki Kano."

The new stranger was not at all fazed by the awkward stares she was receiving from the sixteen scrutinizing eyes. In fact, she gracefully bore their gazes as if they were crystals of praise adorned on her skin. Sally and Lucy were the first two to have their admiration of the stunning woman fade. In a hurried attempt to mask Sally's audible scowl, Lucy jutted her hand forward for Yuki to shake daintily.

"It's a treat to meet you, Ms. Kano," Lucy said, meekly.

Yuki flashed her pearly teeth with a dazzling smile, stunning the crowd once more. "Charmed," she purred. "You must be Sinclair's mother; he's said only the best about you."

Lucy's face paled, intimidated. "Uh, no I'm not really his mother. I'm just married to his father…_erm_…" Lucy sharply bit her tongue to keep herself from embarrassing herself further. As soon as Yuki had tactfully grinned off the mistake, the family began to shuffle into the renowned restaurant. Lucy, Sally, and Molly held up the rear; jealousy and anger for being susceptible to the beautiful woman's charm was blatant on their faces.

"Rather…hypnotizing, isn't she," Sally knowingly muttered into Molly's ear as soon as Lucy was out of hearing distance.

Molly didn't nod or reply in any way. But at her sister's words, her heart grew hard against this new woman's attack and her senses sharpened like a RADAR machine defensively turned on.

Auras of suffocating powerful hues of orange and red draped the nearly cliché Asian restaurant. The dimly lit room and the warm scent of a myriad spices made Molly feel weary and vulnerable, as if she her own senses were in a hypnotic trance and being lulled to sleep. She looked around for anything stimulating enough to keep her awake: the exotic fish tank, the hand-carved animals on the ceilings and walls, the eruptions of fire coming from the tables where delighted patrons sat, enthralled. Molly couldn't help but feel her eyes becoming heavy as her face began to grow hot. How would she keep her potent eye on the suspicious Yuki when she could hardly keep them open?

Quickly she leapt to the front of her posse where Rocky was speaking loudly, trying as much as the three other boys to get the much desired attention of Sinclair Cell. Molly snaked her arm through his and tugged him back so that his ear was close to her mouth. "Keep me awake, will you. It would be embarrassing to fall dead asleep at the table. " Molly begged. Rocky looked at her, quizzically, and straightened himself up from the stroppy posture Molly had forced him into.

Rocky didn't give Molly's request a second thought. He merely shrugged an affirmation, and then tried to pull away from her, indifferently, in the hopes of interrogating Sinclair even further about his activities as a successful man in the United States. Molly growled at Rocky's obvious neglect of her attempt to be around him, her best friend. _Lately_, she thought with a heart burning with vexation, _he hasn't given me the time of day at all! Boys!_

"So," Molly began cordially, knowing just how to coax a response out of him. "What do you think of Sinclair's girlfriend? Suki I think her name was."

"It's Yuki," Rocky said pointedly. Then his face acquired a far off expression. "She's really pretty. You see how she has her hair arranged in the back? You should try that sometime."

Molly's blood boiled like a hot tea kettle. She squeezed Rocky's arm tighter. "But don't you sense something off about her?"

As if his sanity switch was suddenly flicked from "girl-break" to "ON," Rocky hurled an incredulous glare into Molly's eyes. "Molly you can't tell me you're suspicious of her! Cor, Molls, we're on vacation! Give it a break." With an aggravated _huff, _he tore his arm away from his friend's clinging grasp and rushed away from the paranoid girl.

Molly growled ferociously in reply and forcefully folded her arms. When she saw Rocky's warm eyes flicker frequently to Yuki's bronze face, she couldn't help but detest the older woman. They were all seated at a sophisticatedly adorned table in a private room; Yuki was sandwiched between the devoted Sinclair and Rocky. At that moment, Molly hated Rocky too. It angered her to think that he had only had his first kiss the day before, something they had promised each other never to do as small children in a dank dormitory, and now he was already bewitched by an older woman. Molly didn't know whether to blame Yuki for this fallacy or the fact that Rocky was a teenage boy. She didn't know that growing up meant growing apart.

"…Molly? Molly, are you ok?"

Her head snapped up like and stared at her enemy across the table. In her peripheral vision she saw her family looking at, her concerned, but her gaze was tunneled towards Yuki's cheery face. Like smoke from a fire, Molly scrutinized the foggy bubble taking shape over Yuki's perfectly straight hair. As if she were looking at an ancient mirror, Molly found herself staring at a murky vision of herself. _Powerful, powerful, _fluttered through the mirage like a whisper in the wind. _Jealousy, hunger, power. _Then, as if she were peering down a dark corridor within Yuki's mind, she saw a daunting silhouette before a doorway of incredible light. Molly's eyes squinted, entranced. The shape began to be painted with details: a tall and slim man; a crisp suit; and a potato nose peeking out from under the visor of a clean top hat. At that moment, as Molly peered closer into Yuki's mind, the dark man revealed his startling eyes. Green met green; she gasped so hard that she began to splutter. The man merely flashed a blinding, toothy smile, and Molly lost the thread of thought as she struggled to catch her breath.

"Molly!" Lucy gasped as Molly continued to wheeze into her napkin. She leapt from her chair, as quickly as her swollen belly would allow, and waddled to her daughter's side. Lucy fervently patted her daughter's back, her eyes wide in maternal terror. But Molly only pushed her hands away, as gently as she could manage.

"I'm fine," Molly puffed. She cast a steely gaze at Yuki, still sitting placidly across from her. Her slim hand was intertwined with Sinclair's; it disturbed Molly how ardently his gaze was on her face. When Yuki caught a glimpse of Molly's harsh glare, she offered a light smile and her eyes appeared stronger as if someone had increased the gas on the flame.

_Yuki Kano, _Molly thought, heatedly, _I guess I'll be researching you tomorrow, as well. _


	5. Espionage

_A/N: Yup Spring Break came and went…I had planned to get this bun out of the oven but Sims 3 got in the way lol. So once again I'm just gonna sacrifice my school work (not that I care) and work on this during Pre-Calculus. Queso, Molly Moon: I got this epic piece of paper out and toats drew out the majority of the plot line and major events. Now I just gotta get all of this down on Microsoft Word®. For this one I might have altered the rules by which Molly time-travels in order to make things go my way, but that's ok in my opinion. After this chappie I'm gonna attempt to try some alternate POVs…you'll see. Wish me luck!_

Chapter Four: Espionage

Molly Moon, master hypnotist and secret-agent extraordinaire, gawked at the glowing computer screen in horror. The cursor flickered tauntingly in the blank search box as if it knew full well that the girl couldn't even bear to touch her finger tips to the keyboard. Exasperated, she slumped in her chair and blew a lock of hair out of her eyes.

Like flustered scholars, Micky and Primo were rummaging through the racks searching for the perfect book for his summer studies. Molly could have sworn that she heard Primo laugh, not entirely a common occurrence! It wasn't often that father and son could spare a moment to spend time with each other; Molly was crossing her fingers that they would keep it up long enough for her to get her research done. If she could only get started…

_Come on, Molly, _she chastised herself as she willed her shaky hands to lie on the keyboard. _You've done tougher before! _L-O-G-A-N K-A-S-P-E-R…..**search! **Molly winced, waiting anxiously for the results to appear. She had no idea what to expect: a murderer, a robber, a criminal mastermind? Molly leaned in close to the monitor, protecting the mysterious screen from prying eyes. _Was it really smart to do this in a public place?_

Logan Kasper. Furiously, Molly clenched her eyes shut and moved the mouse to any random link. How on Earth was she secretly supposed to pilfer through thousands of links before midnight tonight? Link after link and from frustrated failures to embarrassed blushes, she zipped through the websites without anything seeming outspoken. Some, right away, she knew the queen wasn't implying she study.

She cast a panicked glance over the top of the computer screen to chart Primo and Micky's progress. _Crums!, _Molly thought. Micky already had a stack of books in hand and Primo was eyeing his daughter and gave her a little wave. She groaned, knowing full well that the wave wasn't for salutations, but rather to rush her. Typical man!

"Hey…hey, Mick, can you look at the movie section for me? I couldn't find anything I wanted," Molly called in a hurried voice. She was crossing her fingers that Micky would take the bait, allowing her more time. "Primo, maybe you could show us your favorite one!"

With an innocent nod, they disappeared from sight and Molly rushed back into her studies; she would have to find something quick or risk using the house computer. The next link she clicked caused her to lean in; an excited tingling sensation in her gut let her know that she had finally found something suspicious.

_San Francisco Post: June 10th 1899: __**World's Most Expensive Jewel At Risk**__! :_

_Last night, Sea Cliff, San Francisco was shaken when Mayor Jeffrey Knapp desperately requested the assistance of everyone from the FBI to private investigators to pursue the attempted robbers of the world's most famous jewel, the Somnium Diamond. Famed as the largest fragment of the priciest recovered Crown Jewel of England, Mayor Knapp had showcased the jewel in the dining room of his home and employed the most current of security precautions to protect _the_ Somnium Diamond, but to no avail. Last night, around midnight, Knapp was woken by a howl in the night and a shatter within his home. When he went to investigate, the potential thief dropped the diamond when Knapp fired his revolver at him, but not before the mayor could get a condemning look at the perpetrator before he vanished into the night. "I know who did it," Mayor Knapp said in a rabid fervor. "Logan Kasper!" However, this testament from Knapp is believed to be relying only on the old wives tale that revolves around the mysterious _Logan Kasper_ and the Somnium Diamond. Whenever a successful or attempted robbery of a shard of the world's most precious diamond is recorded, the only clues remaining speak of a mysterious cloaked figure whose only color comes from the jewels on a gold pocket watch. However the story always ends the same way: the robber vanishes as if he never existed at all. Does Logan Kasper exist? Is he just a fondly haunting name given to a hidden face or is he something much larger and mysterious than that? No one knows, but it is certain that the world will always wait on the tip of her seat waiting for the next visit from this crafty and cryptic spector._

Molly rolled her tongue suspiciously. "Well that's straight forward." **Print. **But there was something about the article that entranced her, besides the being the first article that sounded even remotely close to what the Queen might have wanted; the fact that the Somnium Diamond was a recovered Crown Jewel was a big give away, but would she really recruit Molly to find a rock? She just might be on to something.

So where in the world was a teenage girl going to turn to discover something she didn't have the slightest clue about? Molly smiled mischievously: _Wikipedia ®. _ She had a sturdy feeling that the Somnium Diamond was a tying factor to the mystery. However, the importance the previous article associated with the diamond seemed to diminish somewhat when the Wikipedia ® article opened; it was disappointingly short and vague.

_Wikipedia ® Article: _**The Somnium Diamond**

_The Somnium Diamond is one of the few circumstances in this world where fairy-tale and reality meet. Also known as "The Sleeping Gem" the diamond has been noted as one of the most treasured, expensive, and scandalous or all diamonds. The diamond's origins, discovery, and powers are little known, but since 1734 the dramatic journeys, filled with deceit and blood and theft, of the treasured diamond have been carefully documented and have been a topic of fascination for many. As the world's most priceless diamond, it's shards have been spread all over the world to share the opulence. On September 23__rd__, 1734, a small shard was stolen from the Crown Jewels of France hidden in the Bastille and vanished without a trace. The guards only had one shred of evidence to divulge: a darkly hooded man with a golden pocket watch with the name _Logan Kasper_ etched delicately on the bejeweled cover. Thus the legend of Logan Kasper begins. Whenever the Somnium Diamond has been endangered, Logan Kasper was to blame, whether through evidence of a darkly cloaked man or the initials _LK _ominously carved into the floor. Thirteen shards of the Somnium Diamond are known to exist; only three remain in the custody of the world. The rest are hidden; perhaps in the mysterious hands of Logan Kasper._

_The most famous robberies and attempts of the phantom, Logan Kasper, are: Paris, France on September 23__rd__ 1734; Washington D.C. USA on August 24__th__ 1814; Delhi, India on March 7__th__, 1849; San Francisco, USA on June 10__th__, 1899; Berlin, Germany on April 25__th__, 1945. _

** PRINT! **

Molly thrust her back up against the chair and stared in incredulous awe at the computer screen. Slowly, she felt a smile creep through her lips and a chill sweep down her spine. _I most __**definitely **__have something here! _Molly leapt from her seat and rushed for the printer with as much gusto as a child approaching the tree on Christmas morning. She practically had to push and unsuspecting student out of the way to free her precious research from the printer.

As she stared at the audacious potential that the pages held, she abandoned the boring monotony her life had become in the past few months in a blink of an eye. School books and compliance and family drama were exchanged for a fantasy man in a dark cloak. Lucy would be so mad…

The random thought of her mother made Molly frown. Lucy, the woman who had worked so hard to make up for the lost years and make Molly's life as dismally normal as possible…she only did it because she loved Molly. She began to chew on a rogue lock of hair as she usually did when she was conflicted. Primo was busy most of the time, but he was obviously fretful whenever Molly fell into danger's arms. _Rocky and Micky, _Molly considered, and after a while she thought with a smile, _would be jealous…Oh, but what about Ojas, he'd just finished telling me the other day how left out he felt when I have my adventures. _

Her eyes shifted to the entrancing mystery on the page before her. _Logan Kasper—what exactly does the Queen want with him? _Micky and Primo were approaching her fast; in a minute they would leave and Molly would have to make the choice between freedom and love. Unless she chose both. She hastily pushed the papers into her pant pocket and looked to her family as innocently as she could. _Once again, what they don't know won't hurt them…that's not a lie, _she thought to herself in an attempt to placate her troubled conscious.

* * *

><p>Molly looked at herself in the mirror and was shocked at who stared back at her. From head to toe, from the black hair tie to contain her forest of brown hair to the tips of her black boots, she wore the ensemble of a spy preparing for action. The only color that escaped from the dark uniform were the fierce green glow being emitted from her great round eyes. Those mighty orbs betrayed no emotion other than confidence. She squeezed her list of destinations in her tightly clenched hand. "Let's go," she said under her breath. Then she crawled through the third story window without another pause.<p>

Lucy and Primo had already drifted off to their bedroom and Molly doubted the boys could hear her over their video games, but just to make sure she waited until thunder began to penetrate the silence of the cloudy night before she ventured away from the safety of her home. It was ten thirty at night, but she knew she would be back before anyone noticed she was gone and before the queen expected her call. _In fact, _Molly thought with a grin, _I could arrange to be back in a few minutes if I wanted to. _

She gingerly scaled down the roof and lowered herself to the courtyard. It had rained earlier that day, much to Sally's annoyance and Molly's relief, so the sound of the lingering thunder would hide the crack she would make as her body left this time in search of another. She would see for herself what was happening to the intriguing Somnium Diamond. She had read the paper, now securely folded in her pocket, until she memorized it. On September 23rd, 1734, she would have a date with this Logan Kasper person.

As Molly fiddled with the green jewel on her bracelet, she heard a moist rumble and curt bark come from underneath a lawn chair. Startled, she dropped to her knees and peered into the darkness hatched by the orange glow of the lantern. Petula's glossy black eyes peered at her and Molly fondly smiled back. Petula frequently visited the court yard, which was famous for the sparkly imported stones, and sucked these stones happily at least once a day. Molly always found the gurgling noises the Petula made while enjoying her hobby endearing. She ruffled the pug's velvety ears and Petula licked her hand.

"Keep watch for me, Petula," Molly breathed. "I'll be back in a mo'."

With that, the girl stood erect and fiddled with her charm bracelet once more. A sharp and piercing _crack _was omitted when Molly Moon vanished in mid-air. Petula pawed desperately at her ears as she tried to scratch the ringing out of her ears caused by such a sudden noise. Disinterested with her stone, Petula waited patiently for her pet to return to the court yard, just as instantly as she had before whenever she was morphing or time traveling to her heart's content. But Molly didn't return at all. She didn't return before the rain started, when the rain stopped, or when Petula's sensitive ears could detect a masculine voice calling for her from the house. _Oh, Molly, what have you gotten yourself into this time, _Petula huffed to herself before trotting back to the house.

* * *

><p>Molly's feet met cobblestone covered with soot and grime as she arrived in 1734. Her potato nose crinkled as waves of sulfur and filth attacked her nose. <em>I know I've been spoiled by the cleaning regulations in the 21<em>_st__ century but this is ridiculous, _Molly thought as she distastefully observed her surroundings. She had never been to Paris, but she had expected more from the "City of Romance." The wooden homes and brick buildings looked ancient and abused from years of improper maintenance. The billowing smoke from many a household fire surged through the chimneys to combine in an ominous mass of black haze in the sky. In the distance she heard a baby cry, a woman hack and wheeze, and a man vomit forth a flurry of mean sounding French. _I guess the romance is saved for the richer parts of the city, _she considered as she began to shuffle out of the mucky gutter she had landed in.

The time and place where she would begin her active espionage were the products of educated guesses. What better time for a robbery to take place than near midnight after all. The picture Wikepedia® had provided of where the pilfering had taken place, in a fortress called The Bastille. The mighty castle of dismal stone was hard to miss over all of the tiny houses that populated the majority of Paris. Somewhere within was the mysterious rarity that enchanted Molly Moon like a honeybee to the most fragrant of flowers. Somewhere within was the phantom that Molly was hunting like a cat does a mouse. The problem would be getting inside; she had known from school, long before her mission began, that before the days of the French Revolution the Bastille was one of the most impenetrable prisons in Europe. There was no better place to hide the most sacred of royal gems; until today.

Safeguarded by her black apparel, Molly hugged the brick wall of the Bastille as she waited for her lungs to relax from the running. She had stopped the world while she sped through the dark and threatening allies of Paris; she presumed that without thugs to worry about she wouldn't have to feel anxious about leaving behind the pepper spray that Primo had told her could most like her best friend in shady places. The pre-electricity night seemed indifferent to Molly's toying with time. The night was so life-less and still that Molly couldn't be sure that time was lurching forth again after she released it from its hypnotic bonds. Like the fortresses she had always imagined from the fairytales and movies she had watched, the skeleton of the Bastille was intimidating iron bars and battlements. Frustrated, she chewed on her bottom lip: None of her powers allowed her to defeat hard metal.

Once again, she thrust herself flat against the walls as she heard the formidable clacking of leather heeled shoes on the cobblestones. Her breath caught in her throat as she scrutinized the darkness, waiting for the stranger to reveal themselves. What the darkness emitted, however, made Molly's lips snake up in a half smile. A man waddled his way over to the fortress as if he were sleepwalking. His clothes and armor were crooked, wrinkled, and stained on his slim frame and his cap was balled up in his hand as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes. From the dull sword and jingling iron keys swinging from a loop on his trousers, Molly assumed with delight that this man was destined for none other than the Bastille itself. This sleepy civilian was Molly's ticket into the impenetrable fortress.

Round cheeks barely freckled with stubble shaped the man's boyish face, making it oh so easy for Molly to imagine him as a bright, yet curiously lazy, child. Craftily, Molly stepped as faintly as a ghost onto the pavement, her eyes shifting to the pattern in the brick road.

"Etienne, c'est Andre, ouvrir la porte-" the man hollered up to inform the gate keepers to allow him in when he suddenly froze in his spot. He stared off blankly at the gate and his eyes glossed over. Inside his mind, however, Molly was quickly taking control. _Don't worry, sir, I'll just be borrowing you for a little while, _she cooed in her head, trying to placate the man. However, the sleepy guard was no match for Molly's expertise, Molly only worried about him not being able to understand what was happening to him. Molly felt her presence flood through the man as if she were pushing her arms through a warm sweater.

A helmeted head peered over the battlements at the curiously still Andre. He called down, and Molly was pleased to discover that she could perfectly understand the nasally garble that was the French language. "Andre, you're late today! Don't tell me you're drunk again; I bet Jacques that you would stay sober until your baby was at least a month old."

The raspy voice of the guard above reached Molly's new ears and shook her out of her daze. "Uh, no," she thought fast to spin up a believable story. It was difficult for her mind was feeling the dulling effects of Andre's light intoxication. "The baby has been wailing for hours and the wife has been screaming at me just as loudly. My replacement will be screaming at me if I don't get in there soon." The guard's laughter sounded harsh to her sensitive ears, but the metal gate screeched only high enough to allow Molly to bend through the opening and into the dark abyss of the prison before her.

The meager light of the primeval torches was insignificant to the amount of darkness of the prison. Moans and desperate murmurs of the inmates haunted the night as Molly's boots tapped down the hallways. She felt a shred of pity for the prisoners; she knew what it was to be imprisoned. But her senses were narrowed towards an obsessive desire to discover the bizarre myth that was Logan Kasper. Any minute now, she would discover firsthand why the Queen had gone so far as to enlist Molly for this opportunity.

A sharp slam of the door at the end of the corridor startled Molly so much that her hand flew to the hilt of the sword on Andre's hip. But the weakling of a man that had entered through the door didn't look intimidating enough to cause a struggle, no matter how ferociously his face was twisted. He waddled on his lame leg and grabbed Molly by the cuff of her shirt. "Here you are, you idiot! You were supposed to relieve me an hour ago. I'm so hungry and…"

Molly grimaced as the angry guard shook her and cussed at her. But a sudden _crack _resounded from behind the door that her attacker had just emerged. The crack sounded eerily familiar to Molly's ears. The two guards stood still, baffled by the abrupt noise. Then, the man's dull eyes enlarged wide with horror: "_The Diamond!" _he hissed.

_This is it, _Molly thought in an excited flurry. She tore away from the older man's grip and sprinted to the end of the hallway, feeling the unruly teeth of time nip at her heels. The door was flung from the frame so quickly that she hardly recognized that she had done it. In the darkness of the room, Molly stood in awe as she witnessed shadows move and lurch around the room, hovering around a brilliant light. Her eyes were drawn to the light and for the first time in her hypnotic career she knew what it was like to be irrevocably mesmerized.

Moon light, so unadulterated and pure, shone through a clear stained glass window in a way that it focused on a single entity in the room, but exploded into individual beams of dancing light. In the center of the glory was a mass so clear, that Molly almost missed it. Though the Somnium Diamond before her was only the size of the nail on her little finger, she could feel the power of this mysterious gem reverberate through her like the waves of an ocean. Then it was covered with shadow.

Molly's jaw dropped, her soul darkened by the tragedy of having such a beauty hidden from her. Then, her eyes focused on the slim back of a darkly cloaked man and her purpose was forced back into her conscious. Logan Kasper was stealing the diamond! Infuriated, she surged forward and grabbed him harshly by the shoulder to spin him round. Green eyes pierced through Molly's borrowed brown ones to be united with equally green and equally powerful eyes. Fear gripped her by the throat, forcing her to look down in order to save her life. She was no match against any hypnotist when she was intruding in another's body. For the first time, she noticed the eerily motionless guards standing like statues against the wall, staring at the scene unfolding with empty eyes. She cautiously allowed her eyes to wander up to the thief for a moment, but her eyes paused on a polished gold pocket watch peeping out of the lowest pocket of the black trench coat.

It was smooth as a skipping stone and richly displayed the purest gold that Molly had ever seen. Sure enough, the words _Logan Kasper_ were etched so perfectly on the cover that she could have sworn that they were merely breathed on. Kasper clicked open the watch to reveal and array of jewels encrusted on the face of the watch: clear, red, green, and an empty spot lying upon the twelve. He pressed the red stone. Molly risked looking up to the thief and the tightly bound bundle containing the diamond, carefully tucked inside the crook of his arm. With a dastardly crooked smile on his shadowed face, he disappeared with just as curt a _crack_ that signaled his arrival.

Molly collapsed to the cold stone floor in a relieved heap. _That was close_. By the look of the stunned guards rimming the room, she presumed that Kasper was a powerful hypnotist. No wonder the Queen had thought that Molly and her family were the only people qualified for the job. Things suddenly got more interesting.

Kasper's absence must have been the trigger, for the guards were beginning to stir. Immediately, Molly strained to remember the last time she had been in pain and was thrust out of Andre's sluggish body. She stopped the world, and the twitching guards froze in their spot once again. She knelt to touch Andre by the cheek, and he shuddered and gasped at her gentle touch.

"Andre," she whispered. "I don't know if you can understand me, but I don't think it matters. You will forget my presence in your mind, but you will remember the events that have occurred concerning the robbery of the diamond. You will contribute the fuzziness to your obvious drunken state. Which, by the way, you will never get drunk anymore so you can give more time to your wife and children. I lock this with the words _Perfectly Punctual_." Molly was rather fond of the password that had previously belonged to her parents. She released her touch, allowing Andre to freeze once again in a baffled stupor.

Smoothly, she withdrew the crumpled sheet of paper of dates from her pocket and looked at it with a shrewd eye. Unfortunately the only other luck she would have with achieving a sighting of Logan Kasper would be in San Francisco over two hundred years from now: It was the only place that provided an exact location. _Will I have time? _Molly worried. Then she laughed at her own stupidity: Of course she would.

* * *

><p>In less than a minute, she was seeing a sight more familiar than pre-Revolutionary France. Gas lanterns illuminated the cobblestone streets now and the buildings looked much more stable and classy. She relished the warm Californian breeze caressing her curls instead of the foul stench from the dregs of Paris. <em>This <em>seemed to be the perfect type of weather for spying.

However, this time around Molly didn't have time to wait. The wind was picking up fast and carried along with it curious noises for such a calm night. Her ears were attacked by the harsh curses and cries of an elderly Asian man hobbling after two boys sprinting down San Francisco's steep hills. Before Molly even had a chance to crack a bemused smile at the comical scene before her, the two boys disappeared from the night with a sharp noise and not a sound more. Her mouth fell agape and she released a curt shriek. She had definitely not expected that!

The green gems on her elephant charm were tight in her hand in preparation to skip back in time to investigate, when a mighty shot cried out from the darkness above the street. _The shot! _Her mind rapidly recalled the article she had read earlier that day. Logan Kasper was still here; Mayor Knapp had just fired at him! Molly jumped to her feet and was flying down the street to witness the event before Kasper made his infamous escape once again. Yet, as she spotted two men, one with fiery red hair and one in familiar black trench coat, Molly thrust herself against a shadowy wall to avoid being spotted. She cautiously opened her eyes to continue to witness the fleeing men. A trail of shining ruby blood lay in their wake as the redhead dragged the faltering Logan Kasper away from the house.

"_You get back here!_" a booming giant of a man roared from the inside of the house. The form who was undoubtedly Mayor Knapp emerged from the house donning only a pinstripe bed-shirt and a glistening revolver. His flabby arm extended, preparing to fire once again, when he froze. Even from Molly's distance, she could see the psychotic snarl on his face. Then her eyes panned to the tall, gangly man with red hair; without ever letting his hand leave Logan Kasper's arm, he lifted up a clear crystal and stopped the world before Knapp could pull the trigger. Molly was so entranced that she leaned out a distance to see the amazing sight more clearly.

The man lowered his arm and swiftly knelt down to Kasper's side. He fuddled clumsily with the bloody and torn fabric on Kasper's pant leg, but the darkened man pushed him roughly away.

"C'mon, sir," the redhead panted, his words plagued by a heavy Southern-American accent. "I know a good doctor in 2015, lemme' take you there." Once again Kasper rudely pushed his hand away. Then, as slowly as a creeping predator, Kasper turned his head and, for the second time in Molly's adventurous night, their eyes met.

Molly's eyes widened in terror. She fumbled frantically with her bracelet looking for any charm that would speed her out of danger, but the daunting drumming of the redhead's dash towards the girl breaking his Time-Freeze made her heart skip a beat. A horrified whimper escaped her lips as Molly decided that her panicking fingers were not going to help her more than her legs could. As fast as a fleeing gazelle, Molly leapt to her feet and began to flee for her life down the streets of San Francisco.

"Come back here, girl!" Redhead barked at her, his powerful legs allowing him to narrow their distance with ease.

Desperately, Molly searched her bracelet as she ran. She squealed in hysteric delight when her fingers discovered the red crystal that would send her home. _HOMEHOMEHOME!_ Molly willed her powers forward with incredible speed. But to no avail; before she could even begin to fade,  
>Redhead grabbed her by the hem of her shirt. The world went black the second her skin scraped against the rough cobblestones.<p> 


End file.
